Cabletron Systems DMS-100 Network Card User Manual


 
Chapter 1: Introduction to the EIU 31
DMS-100 Family EIU User Guide TELECOM12
Figure 7 DMS SuperNode FLIS with an EIU
Ethernet interface card (NT9X84)
The EIC is based on commercial Ethernet interface chips. It supports one
Ethernet communications link and processes all of the level 1 and part of the
level 2 protocols for the Ethernet in hardware.
The card consists of a common message buffer that is accessed by both the
processor and the Ethernet interface chip. On the Ethernet side, an independent
controller uses memory-based data structures to locate and transmit and
receive data from the links. The controller chip is an Advanced Micro Devices
AM7990 LANCE device (a LAN controller for Ethernet) with support devices.
The buffer memory is organized as 192 kilowords x 16 bits (384 kbyte) with
parity, and is directly accessible by the processor. Both byte and word access
is supported. The processor and the Ethernet control chip contend for access to
this memory. The architecture of the memory controller ensures that sufficient
memory access bandwidth is allocated to the Ethernet controller, so that
underrun or overrun conditions do not occur during transmission or reception
of a message.
Figure 8 illustrates the memory and buffer architecture.
DS512 links
Ethernet
MS 0
MS 1
Bus
plane 0
Bus
plane1
EIU
EIU
F-bus 0
F-bus 1
EIU